Chile's constitutional referendum: Boric's options.

CHILE - In Brief 05 Sep 2022 by Robert Funk

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With an historic turnout of 86%, Chileans overwhelmingly have rejected the draft proposed by the constitutional convention. This brings to a close the process initiated on 15 November 2019, when the political parties sought a way out of the violence and protest of the Social Explosion. But it does not bring to an end the constitutional debate. There seems to be a broad consensus that the country still needs a new constitution, and now the political class will negotiate a path forward. For this reason, yesterday’s result seems less like the end, and more like the end of the beginning, to paraphrase Winston Churchill. The result – 62% against, 38% in favor – is a serious blow for Gabriel Boric’s government, who had linked his fate to that of the constitution. Boric spoke eloquently on Sunday night, claiming that he had received the message. He spoke of moderation and negotiation, a far cry from the firebrand student leader Boric. The traditional parties of the right also reached out, admitting that they are willing to talk about how to organize the next constitutional steps. The question is what the extremes do. Both the Republican Party on the right and the Communists on the left appear intransigent. This may threaten the unity of Boric’s governing coalition, but may also present an opportunity to recapture the center. In other words, handled correctly, Boric may well end up leading something like a Concertación III. Beyond the positive market reaction on Monday, there are questions regarding the government’s reform agenda, which has been essentially on hold as everyone awaited the new rules of the game contained in the constitution. With that out of the picture, Boric ...